Camp: Independence, Excitement, Fun…and Even Some Nerves

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The guest blog this week is from Camp Laurel South and addresses a very relevant subject with camp growing nearer: Nerves.

It’s that time of year.
Departure for camp draws ever closer.
Excitement builds in the household. And for a first-time camp parent, anxiety is normal.

It’s natural to worry about missing your child. Just remember, you’re not the first mom or dad to go through this experience. We’ve all said goodbye, choked back a tear and wondered, “What have I gotten myself into? What’s ahead?!”

This may be the first time your son or daughter isn’t around all the time. You won’t have a window into their life. You can’t wake them up in the morning, make breakfast, ask how the day went, tuck them into bed at night.

And that’s what the camp experience is all about!

It’s wonderful – and important – for your child to rely on other adults. To be in a controlled, worry-free environment where they are encouraged to take safe risks.

In fact, that’s the reason you decided to send your child to camp. You recognize the value of taking steps away from home, toward independence.

But that doesn’t make it any easier on you as a parent.

The first few days might feel strange. So here are a few things to keep in mind:

– Practice what you preach. As parents, we often tell our children that it’s okay to be nervous. We encourage them to try new things. The same goes for us. We need to embrace our anxiety, and give this new “the kids are away” idea a shot.

– Take time for yourself. Do things you always wanted to do, but never had long blocks of time for. Take a class. Learn a new sport. Check in with friends. Have a second “honeymoon” with your spouse.

– Seize the opportunity to experience the “empty nest” syndrome. Think what a breeze it will be years from now – when your child goes to college!

– Realize that your time apart will be valuable – to you and your child. A little healthy distance, for a little bit of time, will benefit everyone.

A tear after the last hug and wave at the bus and airport is normal. Even an angst-ridden first night at home while your “camper” is already fully immersed at camp is too be expected.

But remind yourself: Your child is thriving in an environment that is all their own! They are navigating the world of camp and making decisions away from Mom and Dad and being fueled with a new-found confidence. And

This blog was originally posted the the Camp Laurel South blog on May 9, 2013.

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Eye on the Bullseye

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As long as there has been summer camp, archery has been a part of it.  Although the amount of available activities at summer camp has grown immensely since the early days of camp, archery still remains popular.  It’s a classic outdoor sport that doesn’t require the stamina or athletic prowess of, say, soccer, but a good eye, good aim, and precision when firing.   There is a certain amount of satisfaction in being able to see yourself move closer to achieving a goal.  It’s not always apparent that your swim stroke has gotten better since the beginning of the summer, or that your baseball pitch has improved over the past couple of weeks.  Although your counselors and friends may compliment you and tell you that you’re better than you used to be, there isn’t really anything tangible for you to immediately be able to tell for yourself.  With archery, however, there is a target with a bull’s-eye on it.  It’s not at all unusual for campers to begin the summer not even being able to hit the target and then, as the summer moves along, hit and then inch closer and closer to the bull’s-eye.  The closer they get to that bull’s-eye, the more arrows campers want to shoot.

It seems like a small goal, and it is really.  However, it’s still an exercise in goal setting.  Hitting the bull’s-eye requires focus, and being focused requires you to survey your surroundings, determine where you need to aim, and then focus on the details as you attempt to hit your target.  Being successful at archery requires this same effort from everyone.  Campers have no advantage if they run faster, jump higher, or throw harder.  Every camper enters the archery range on a level playing field with the same potential for hitting a bull’s-eye.  Some get lucky, some work hard.  Either way, archery promises a path to success for anyone who is willing to set a goal, take aim, and work hard.  Perhaps that is why after decades of being a summer camp staple, archery remains one of the most popular activities.

8 Million and Counting

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According to the American Camping Association, 8 million children attend summer camp each summer in the United States. Will your child be one of them?

50 days (give or take a few) until the start of Summer 2013!

Learning to Be Resilient at Summer Camp

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The guest blog this week was originally posted to the Camp Starlight blog on April 17, 2013.

Resilience is the ability to adapt quickly to change or bounce back from setbacks.  In addition to the many benefits available to a child who attends summer camp, one that proves invaluable for many years afterward is gaining resilience as a life skill. In the everyday happenings of summer camp, a camper is given many opportunities to exercise their independent thinking skills on many levels. They find themselves in an environment that not only provides the situations to obtain these skills but also fosters growth within the individual. Perhaps the most effective part of this development, as with many of the lessons learned in camp, is that in the moment it hardly feels like a “lesson.”

During a summer at camp, the scenarios that improve a camper’s resilience are all around them. Everyday, campers excitedly head to the Outdoor Adventure area where they take to the climbing walls, ropes course, and zip line. The Ropes staff, with their extensive training and certifications, provide the arena for adventurous acts of bravery, even when first attempts aren’t exactly successful.  Down at the waterfront, swimmers of all skill levels are diving in and learning new things too. At each and every program area, you find campers trying an activity for the first time as well as campers enjoying participating in an activity in which they are very experienced. Both of these scenarios prove beneficial to the camper; when children try new things and their peers are there to cheer them on and encourage their efforts, the campers gain a sense of camaraderie and inclusion. Because of this boost to their self, they’re more likely to want to continue improving.  On the other end, when a camper is given the opportunity to display excellence in a field in front of his or her peers, there is a power in the identity found when the child feels confidence in this environment.

Situations like these mentioned, and hundreds more that present themselves, throughout a summer, create situations for campers to think situations through and move beyond the moment with resiliency in the camp setting and, furthermore, to return home with a new or better set of life skills. They have spent a summer away from mom and dad, and they have been exercising the act of identifying what they need and either obtaining it or asking our experienced counselors and staff to help them obtain it.  They create friendships amongst kids like and unlike themselves from various parts of the country and even globe. They leave with a better sense of their own culture, having encountered cultures outside of their own. As they take part in the culture at camp, they are given a great sense of being a member of a team and the chance to belong.

Bug Juice…Not Here!

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The guest blog this week comes to us from Camps Laurel and Laurel South and explains how America’s Finest Summer Camps are dispelling some old myths about camp food:

The sugary drink made from mysterious powder – a fruit punch with no resemblance to real fruit – may be the only “food” generations of summer campers remember from their years in camp dining halls.

Today, parents from Camp Laurel and Laurel South are glad to hear that bug juice has gone the way of buggy whips.

Today too, campers are glad to drink water, 2% and skim milk, real lemonade and unsweetened iced tea. They also like having choices: fresh fruit, salad bars, homemade soups, grilled chicken. But they’re equally glad to see old standbys like chicken nuggets and make-your-own sundaes.

Kids today eat healthy. But they are still kids.

Menu planning at Camp Laurel and Laurel South is a constant balancing act. As children have grown more conscious of the right things to eat, we’ve evolved too. For example, we replaced canned peas with cut celery and carrot sticks (part of our popular veggie platters).

We offer barbecue chicken and fresh asparagus. Lemon chicken with brown rice. Turkey tacos with guacamole and corn chips. Baked chicken, matzo ball soup and knishes (Friday nights only!).

We’ve got multi-grain pancakes – most of the time. But we haven’t forgotten our “S Day breakfasts,” with chocolate chip and M&M pancakes.

There’s a 20-item salad bar, with 8 types of dressing. And a pasta bar. And a baked potato bar. And even a special smoothie bar for 2013!

Lewis (Camp Laurel) and Teddy (Laurel South) – our beloved chefs, whip up soups from scratch like corn and clam chowder, vegetable barley, chicken noodle, Italian lentil and cream of broccoli. But the sides of Saltines have been replaced with whole-grain crackers.

Canteen snacks are as anticipated as ever. We’ve added granola bars and healthy popcorn to the list.

Camp is still camp. If you sat with us for a meal, you’d be reminded in many ways of your own camp days and be impressed to find healthier options and variety.

But try as you might, you would not find one silver pitcher filled with bug juice.


*This blog was originally posted the Camps Laurel and Laurel South blogs on April 8, 2013

20 Really Awesome Things You Can Do in One Summer at Camp That You (Probably ) Can’t Do in One Summer at Home

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1.) Jump on a Water Trampoline

2.) Ride a Zipline

3.) Paint Yourself a Different Color

4.) Spin a Clay Pot on a Wheel

5.) Take Part in an Apache Relay

6.) Learn a Balance Beam Routine

7.) Sing at Mealtimes

8.) Jump in One of These

9.) Perform a Musical Number

10.) Perform in a Musical

11.) Have a Sleepover with Your Friends Every Night

12.) Eat S’mores and Sing Songs Around a Campfire

13.) Try a New Sport

14.) Go Mountain Biking…

15.) …And Horseback Riding

16.) …And Skateboarding in a Skatepark

17.) Learn to Waterski

18.) Climb a Wall

19.) Build a Rocket

20.) Play Gaga

The Efficacy of Downtime at Summer Camp

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A joke telling session in the bunk during a rainy morning, lying in the bunk during rest hour, or sitting by the waterfront and talking with friends as the sun goes down are what we call downtime at summer camp.  Children need downtime to process learning experiences and recharge their creative juices, notes parenting expert Michael Grose.  He believes downtime is an important life skill that every child should learn to enjoy and appreciate.  Yes, sleepaway camps like to keep campers busy.  After all, that’s what they come for.  But camps also place emphasis on the value of the summer camp experience as a way to get out of the routine of everyday life, which is what makes summer camp the perfect place for children to learn downtime.

At home, it’s easy to get lost in the constant “go” routine to which so many children are accustomed.  Many of them go straight from school to sports rehearsals or music lessons, sometimes both or several in one night.  Then there is the inevitable stack of homework waiting when they finally get a few moments in the evening.  They also see their parents constantly on the move.  In such an environment, it’s easy to fall into the mindset that one should always be operating at full speed.  At camp, however, the environment is decidedly one that is about slowing down and appreciating individual moments and accomplishments.

Camp is also contained.  Campers have only a few weeks each summer to maximize their camp experience.  They can’t look too far ahead without looking beyond camp, which no camper wants to do.  That’s why campers like to take advantage of that brief rain shower, an hour of rest in the afternoon, or a few moments after dinner to enjoy the camp environment and bond with friends.

Says Grose, “Free, child-initiated play is the ultimate in relaxation. Fun games, games with few rules and games that kids control help them to unwind.”  And learning to unwind is what camp is all about.

Summer Camp: Otherwise Known as Mission Combat Boredom

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Memorial Day is just around the corner and, soon after that, schools will be letting out for the summer.  If you and your significant other are already taking bets on how many days into summer vacation your child will get before proclaiming ‘I’m bored!’ don’t fret.   It may not be too late to combat summer vacation boredom with camp.

First, run–don’t walk–to your computer and submit that summer camp application that you’ve been meaning to submit since October. Although many camps are at capacity for this summer, some camps still have limited space or can place your child on a waiting list in the event of a last minute cancellation.  But time is definitely of the essence now so don’t dilly dally anymore!  If you’re still on the fence and wondering what summer camp do to fight off summer boredom that you, the local pool, or the latest videogame system can’t do, consider this:

For starters, does your local pool have a water trampoline or a rockit?  How about a climbing wall or a rope swing? Does it offer tubing or paddleboarding?  And can your child choose between a sailboat, canoe, or kayak?  Does the park offer waterskiing?  Didn’t think so.

But it’s not just the waterfront that makes summer camp “camp.”  That’s a couple of hours of each day, of course, but there are ball fields and courts, too—baseball, basketball, soccer, tennis, lacrosse, football, hockey…All in one campus!  On any given day at summer camp, campers visit several of them.  They don’t just play intramural games either.  They receive instruction from knowledgeable professionals who work with children year round either as coaches or teachers or college students with significant playing experience a sport who hope to work with children when they graduate.  Campers are challenged to improve their foul shot, learn a new swing, and maintain more control of balls while dribbling.  Traditional summer camps are a virtual sports paradise.  You’ll probably read about that when you receive your first letter from camp in which your child tells you that he or she is so NOT bored!

Away from the fields, there are some pretty sweet crafts, ceramics, and woodworking projects for campers who have a passion for all things that have a high potential to be messy.  They’ll spend an hour or two everyday making a collection of new masterpieces to bring home to you and, when they do, you WILL find a special place to show it off, even if you’re not immediately sure what it is.   It’s a pretty good bet that your child will spend at least two minutes of a phone call home telling you how much FUN it is to nail pieces of wood together or spin clay on a pottery wheel.

But even sports and crafts aren’t enough to fill up a day at camp.  There are climbing walls, ropes courses, zip lines, mountain bikes, fitness, weights, cooking, nature, fishing, gymnastics, dance, theater, magic, equestrian, skate parks…and that’s just what campers do during the day.

Without electronics, iPods, and videogames to retreat to after dinner, evenings can get kind of crazy.  There are sing alongs, dance competitions, spirit competitions, talent competitions, and stage shows.  If you’re having a hard time imagining your child taking the stage and liking it, don’t worry.  We take photos.  You can spend the entire summer hitting the refresh button on your computer screen while looking at photos of your child not being bored.

There is also square dancing, sports leagues, scavenger hunts, carnivals, cookouts, dances, outside entertainment, and campfires.  We haven’t even mentioned out of camp trips to take in sporting events, catch a movie, or visit a local amusement park.

If you’re out of breath just reading this, so are we.  And we haven’t even mentioned everything.  In fact, there is so much to do at camp that on some days the hardest decision for many campers is what not to do.  So make this summer the first of your child’s ‘funnest summers ever!’ by sending him or her to camp, where there is no such thing as “bored.”

Stack the Caps

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This week’s guest blog Comes from Camp Starlight and elaborates on the many efforts campers make to give back to the community, and how camp motivates them to do so.

Summer is now just around the corner, and we know all of you are getting excited that so soon we will all be together again at Camp Starlight. Part of what the people who return year after year to Starlight love so much is that being a Starlighter is being a part of a community.  You become a small part of something big and wonderful that we all love. A really great way to give back to not only the Starlight community, but in your hometowns and school systems, is by supporting a non for profit organization dear to the Camp Starlight family’s heart, Stack the Caps for Kids with Cancer.

Stack the Caps began in 2008 at Camp Starlight in Starlight, Pennsylvania. The event was inspired by a wonderful camper and a true role model for adolescent girls, Brielle Namer, who died from a very rare form of cancer. In her memory, Camp Starlight’s Owners and Directors have organized an annual drive to provide new baseball caps to children with cancer. Over 400 feet of caps have been stacked by Camp Starlight in the five years since the inception of Stack the Caps. Memorial Sloane Kettering and Children’s Hospital Boston are two hospitals to receive donations. Our goal is to stack over one mile of caps. Many of you have participated in the Stack the Caps events held at camp each summer, but did you know you can do even more for the cause by hosting a Stack the Caps event at home?

Hosting a Stack the Caps event is a fun, unique, and rewarding way to bring together any community you are a part of. You could hold an event at your school, temple, or with any other sports teams or organizations you participate in. It is a great way to satisfy community service hour requirements you may have for school or, as many of you have already done, a wonderful cause to use for your bar/bat mitzvah projects. To get more information on how you can help support Stack the Caps for Kids with Cancer, visit the website www.stackthecaps.com or simply email [email protected] to get started on hosting your event!

The preceding blog was originally published to the Camp Starlight blog on March 22, 2013.

Camp through the Eyes of a Program Director

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I’m the camp’s Program Director.  I have a very unique job at camp as the person responsible for overseeing the daily scheduling of the camp’s daily activities.  Even though it’s not one of the traditional camp jobs that comes to mind when people imagine working at a summer camp, it’s a crucial one.  I like that it’s a perfect combination of behind the scenes with hands on.

One of the things I love most about my job is that I get the opportunity to get to know most of the campers and staff through daily interaction.  I’m the person they come to with requests for their programs.  I enjoy speaking with them about the things that are working in their activity areas and hear feedback about things that I might improve.

On those rare occurrences when the sun refuses to cooperate with the camp schedule, I get to demonstrate my creative talents by figuring how we can keep the fun going in all of our indoor facilities.  I also enjoy getting out on campus every now to see for myself how the schedule plays out in real time.  It’s a great time for me to take notes for the next schedule.

In the evenings, before I begin working on the next day’s schedule, I often participate in special events.  Sometimes I judge activities.  Sometimes I lead them.  Other times, I host them or just keep score.  The real reward of my job is when I overhear campers telling their counselors that they just had the best day ever as they’re heading off to bed in the evenings.  It’s a great way to begin another day because just as everyone winds down their day at camp, I head back to my office to begin working on the next day’s schedule, ready to create another “funnest day ever!” for our campers.  If you think working in camp programming sounds like a fun job, apply at one of America’s Finest Summer Camps today!